Joan Benoit Samuelson, the founder of the prestigious Beach to Beacon 10-kilometer road race in Cape Elizabeth and a Maine running legend, is one of 12 nominees for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Samuelson, who still runs road races in southern Maine, made distance running history at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles in winning the first women’s marathon. She held the American marathon record from 1985-2003.